Method and system for selective deployment of instruments within an assessment management system

ABSTRACT

A system of hardware and software provides a systematic and systemic method for performing assessment of the effectiveness of different levels within an institution. The system includes template driven definitions that span multiple tiers of hierarchically arranged operating units within the institution thereby providing flexibility and customization to handle a user-definable model of the institution&#39;s organization. In particular, instruments may deployed selectively to a variety of different recipients. The selected group of recipients may be based on, for example, demographic, course, program, institution, section, education experience, and section-related criteria.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/670,963, filed Apr. 12, 2005, entitled “Transaction, Commerce, Community, Content, Learning, and Evaluation Systems”, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/363,868, filed Feb. 27, 2006, entitled “Method and System for Assessment Within a Multi-Level Organization”, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure relates generally to computer software and hardware systems, and more particularly, to such a system for providing assessment of multiple levels of effectiveness.

2. Background

As part of providing quality educational opportunities, many academic institutions are interested in assessing and evaluating their performance and efforts as well as the performance of units and individuals within the institution. These institutions can include, for example, on-line institutions, K-12 schools, colleges, universities and even multi-campus university systems. One purpose of assessment involves collecting and documenting the necessary evidence needed for satisfying the requirements of regional or national accreditation bodies. Another purpose is to allow the institution to make informed and objective decisions about, for example, curriculum content, course offerings, and educational effectiveness.

In the past, assessment efforts have been disjointed and performed in relative isolation at the different levels of the academic institution. For example, the assessment process at the classroom level was performed separate from any assessment (if ever performed) at a department level or higher (e.g., institutional level). This approach lead to redundancy of information and efforts, as well as disparate results that would need to be combined in some manner and evaluated if an overall assessment result is desired.

Furthermore, identifying and collecting information needed to meet accreditation requirements may be performed on an ad-hoc basis when needed. These processes are then repeated the next time accreditation is reviewed. Such an approach relies heavily on repeatedly reviewing the same information and generating the necessary documentation each time accreditation is reviewed.

Accordingly, there exists a need for an assessment system for institutions that is able to consider and connect multiple organizational tiers of the institution and to provide systematic and systemic data collection, organization, and retrieval components to support institutional assessment efforts.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present invention relates to a method for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients. In accordance with this method, first input defining the assessment instrument is received along with second input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients. Then, the selected subset is identified based on those of the plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the criteria so that the assessment instrument is deployed to the selected subset.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients of an institution. In accordance with this method first input defining the assessment instrument is received along with second input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients. Then the criteria and the assessment instrument are forwarded to a separate computer-based system of the institution, wherein the separate computer-based system is configured to distribute the assessment instrument to those of the plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the criteria.

Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a method for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients of an institution. In accordance with this method first input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients and forwarded to a first separate computer-based system of the institution. In response, identification of members of the selected subset is received and the assessment instrument is deployed to the selected subset.

Still another aspect of the present invention relates to a system for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients. The system includes a programmable computer configured to receive both first input defining the assessment instrument and second input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients. This computer is further configured to identify the selected subset based on those of the plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the criteria and to deploy the assessment instrument to the selected subset.

A further aspect of the present invention relates to a system for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients of an institution that includes a programmable computer. The programmable computer is configured to a) receive first input defining the assessment instrument; b) receive second input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients; and c) forward the criteria and the assessment instrument to a separate computer-based system of the institution, wherein the separate computer-based system is configured to distribute the assessment instrument to those of the plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the criteria.

Yet one more aspect of the present invention relates to a system for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients of an institution. This system includes a programmable computer that is configured to a) receive first input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients; b) forward the first input to a first separate computer-based system of the institution; c) in response, receive identification of members of the selected subset; and d) deploy the assessment instrument to the selected subset.

It is understood that other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein it is shown and described only various embodiments of the invention by way of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of an institutional assessment system are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block-level diagram of an institutional environment in which an assessment system is implemented in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2A depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method for using an assessment plan for a multi-tier organization using a template driven model.

FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary template having hierarchically arranged forms.

FIG. 2C depicts an exemplary assessment process.

FIG. 2D depicts an exemplary model for a higher education institution within which assessments can be performed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 3A depicts a screen shot of a home page from which a user may elect to perform functions within an assessment system.

FIGS. 3B-3I depict a series of screen shots of a user interface that allows a user to perform Goal and Planning Assessment within an assessment system in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 4A-4C depict a series of screen shots of a user interface that allows a user to perform curriculum planning in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 4D illustrates an exemplary curriculum map indicating the alignment between courses and objectives.

FIG. 5A depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method for selective deployment of instruments in an assessment management system in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIGS. 5B-5J depict a series of screen shots of a user interface that allows a user to manage and create instruments within an assessment system in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 6A depicts a screen shot of a user interface that relates to displaying user outcomes in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 6B depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method for generating the contents of the screen shot of FIG. 6A.

FIGS. 7A-7K depict a series of screen shots of a user interface that allows selective reporting of data and content from within an assessment system.

FIGS. 8A-8L depict a series of screen shots of a user interface of an assessment system that provides a number of auxiliary tools.

FIGS. 9A-9D depict a series of screen shots of a user interface of an on-line learning/academic system with which an assessment system can be integrated in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

The figures include a number of different screen shots of an exemplary user interface. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that the depicted interface is provided by way of example and that the layout, options and items on each screen shot may be altered or augmented without departing from the scope of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the invention. Additionally, the term “automatic” may be used herein to describe one or more process steps that may be performed in an automated manner using various types of programmable processors or computers. However, one of ordinary skill will recognize that the performance of these steps may also be accomplished manually or via a combination of manual and automated processes.

Terminology

In general, as used herein, “assessment” means a repeating or cyclic improvement process that involves measuring outcomes versus stated objectives or goals and identifying corrective action. The term “evaluation” has more of a connotation of a point in time measurement of one or more outcomes versus stated objectives without necessarily having a built-in improvement step. For example, a program may have the goal of developing students' critical thinking abilities and might annually determine whether, as a program, that goal has been achieved. Therefore, one might wish to annually assess this by looking at the aggregate performance of the program's students on a senior capstone project.

Other terms that are used consistently herein include:

Mission: A broad statement that describes the over-arching purpose of an organization. Mission statements typically are not measurable because of the scope that they encompass and because they are not time-constrained.

Goal: Missions are frequently broken down further into a series of goals. Though more specific than a mission, goals are still broad statements and may not be easily measurable. Goals provide guidance on areas that should be addressed through specific, measurable objectives.

Objective: An objective is an expression of the intended result or consequence of some activity (e.g. instruction or some other performance). It differs from an outcome, which is the achieved result, although the two are sometimes used interchangeably. The activities described by an objective should be measurable within a defined timeframe. Frequently, the term is used with a modifier to clarify the activity, e.g. a learning objective or a performance objective.

Standard: In educational assessment, for example, a standard is a statement of what a learner should know or be able to do. A standard is more specific than a goal and should be measurable. In that sense, a standard is much closer to an objective than a goal. However, unlike an objective, a standard may not be related to a specific activity, instruction, performance, etc. or timeframe. Also, standards are frequently generated by organizations external to the academic institution (e.g. state governments, accrediting agencies) as a means to standardize measurement of performance or learning across multiple organizations.

Outcome: An outcome is the achieved result or consequence of some activity (e.g. instruction or some other performance). It differs from an objective, which is the intended result, although the two are sometimes used interchangeably. Frequently, the term is used with a modifier to clarify the activity, e.g. a learning outcome or a performance outcome.

A “template” is a means of defining the structure of various data in the system and the instruments used to collect that data. A template may define one or more customizable forms and the attributes that are present on each form. A “form” is a customizable page within a template consisting of one or more attributes. An “attribute” is a piece of data that defines an entity (such as the name of a user) which may be represented on a form as a field. Certain attribute fields may be required by the system. The level of customization (e.g. the ability to change labels on an attribute versus the ability to add new attributes to a form) may be dependent on the type of template that the form is a part of.

For example, a template for collecting data about a user might consist of one form. On that form are specific attributes, such as “name” “social security number” and “type.” The “name” and “social security number” attributes might allow for entry of text information, while the “type” attribute might offer a selection of ‘faculty,’ ‘staff,’ or ‘student.’ The “name” and “social security number” attributes might be required, meaning that any person completing the form must enter data for those attributes, while the “type” attribute might be optional. One of ordinary skill will recognize that there are numerous different and varying attributes that can be defined for each form using standard available web-based interfaces. For example, the information related to an operating unit will vary for a “College” operating unit and a “Department” operating unit. A College operating unit may have fields to designate Dean, while a Department would have fields to identify the current Chair of the department. Beyond such labeling distinctions, different operating units may even have different types of data. For example, an operating unit representing a Center for Media Students may need to store, as part of the operating unit, information about the grant that funds the Center, the grant's initiation and expiration dates, and who manages the Grant, while a Department, funded out of the university budget, may only need to store university budget codes assigned to the Department. Based on their purpose and level within the organization, different operating units will have different informational needs.

Templates may also consist of more than one form; this is particularly useful for the representation of a data collection process that consists of multiple steps. For example, an Assessment Project template might consist of a “properties form” to collect data about the properties of the project itself, one or more “objective forms” to collect data about each objective being measured, and four “activity forms” per objective to collect data about the different steps of assessing the performance of the objective. Each form would have specific attributes defined. This exemplar template is illustrated in FIG. 2B. One of ordinary skill will recognize that there could be many different ways to configure a multiple-form template to represent a variety of different processes for different purposes.

While many examples are provided herein that specifically include a higher-education institution, the principles of the present invention contemplate other types of institutions as well. For example, corporations, governmental entities, and K-12 institutions are all considered within the scope of the present invention. An institution may also be a consortium of schools and/or campuses. In general terms, an institution is an operating unit and is, itself, made up of different operating units that may correspond to campuses, colleges, departments, sub-departments, etc. The systems and methods described herein do not require any particular arrangement of operating units but, instead, allow the institution to model its organization into a hierarchy of operating units for purposes of management, planning, and reporting of assessment efforts. The terms “unit”, “operating unit”, and “operational unit” are often used interchangeably herein. However, there are unique aspects of operating units related to their respective level in the organizational hierarchy that allow customization and flexibility based on these unique aspects.

In the higher education example, operating units offer programs of study, or simply “programs”, with different courses and sections. Thus, assessment can occur, for example, at or across an institutional level, a departmental level, a program level, an individual level, a course level and at the section level. Programs may also include courses offered by different operating units. For example, a particular program of study may require both an introductory Engineering course and a computer science course. Within the institutional level assessment, different varieties of assessment may also be performed on different levels of operating units as well. For example, the institution may be organized according to operating units that represent department levels, college levels, etc. Thus, a framework is described herein, in which a hierarchically arranged group of organizational units and activities are defined and assessed against various criteria and objectives.

FIG. 1 depicts a functional block diagram of an exemplary environment for an assessment system 102 in accordance with the principles of the present invention. As described in more detail herein, the assessment system 102 provides a framework for performing various types of assessments of an institution such as, for example, a higher education institution. A user 104 of the system 102 typically uses a web browser or similar interface to communicate with an appropriately configured front-end 106 of the system 102. For example, the front-end 106 may be a web server hosting a number of applications 108 that the user 104 may access. The applications 108 are one or more software components or programs that execute on a programmable computer platform to provide functionality related to performing institution-related assessment activities. Such applications 108 may include components for modeling the institution or organization, defining assessment projects, identifying users (e.g., students), defining objectives and goals, and collecting and reporting data.

The applications 108 may also access data storage facilities 112 and other computer systems 114. For example, the data facilities 112 may be one or more databases having assessment project data stored and arranged in a convenient and appropriate manner for easy manipulation and retrieval. The other computer systems 114 may be a variety of third-party systems that contain data or resources that are useful for the assessment system 102. In the exemplary higher education environment, the systems 114 may include a student information system (SIS) that maintains student demographic information as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill. The systems 114 may also include an electronically maintained class, or course, schedule for the institution that includes information about the courses such as section numbers, professors, class size, department, college, the students enrolled, etc. Other campus-related systems such as financial aid and the bursar's office may be included in the systems 114 of FIG. 1. The back-end 110 is appropriately configured software and hardware that interface between the applications 108 and the various resources 112, 114.

Another resource to which the back end 110 may provide connectivity is a campus (or institutional) academic system 116. An example of such a system is provided by the present Assignee under the name Academic Suite™ with many features thereof described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,998,138 entitled “Internet-Based Education Support System and Methods”, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. As described in that patent, the campus academic system 116, in an academic environment, provides a platform that allows students and teachers to interact in a virtual environment based on the courses for which the student is enrolled. This system may be logically separated into different components such as a learning system, a content system, a community system, and a transaction system. An example of such a student is the user 118 that can access the academic system 116 via a web browser or similar interface. The user 118 may also be faculty, staff or an administrative officer. An example of these separate components of the system 116 are described in detail in pending patent applications “Method and System for Conducting Online Transactions (Ser. No. 10/373,924 filed Feb. 25, 2003), “Content and Portal Systems and Associated Methods” (Ser. No. 11/142,965 filed Jun. 2, 2005), and “Content System and Associated Methods” (Ser. No. 10/918,016 filed Aug. 13, 2004), all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Of particular usefulness to the assessment system 102, the academic system 116 provides a virtual space that the user 118 may visit to receive information and to provide information. One exemplary arrangement provides the user 118 with a home page where general information may be located and that has links to access course-specific pages where course-specific information is located. As explained in the incorporated patent and patent applications, electronic messaging, electronic drop boxes, and executable modules may be provided within the user's virtual space on the academic system 116. Thus, with respect to the assessment system 102, one of the applications 108 may be used to generate information that is to be deployed to one or more users of the academic system 116. Via the back-end 110, the information may be sent to the academic system 116 where it is made available to the user 118 just as any other information is made available. Similarly, from within the academic system 116, the user may enter and submit data that is routed through the back end 110 to one of the applications 108. One of ordinary skill will recognize that the academic system 116 and the assessment system 102 may be more closely integrated so that the connectivity between the applications 108 and the system 116 is achieved without a network connection or special back end software 110.

Although the front end 106, applications 108, and back end 110 of the assessment system 102 are each depicted as a single block in FIG. 1, one of ordinary skill will appreciate that each may also be implemented using a number of discrete, interconnected components. As for the communication pathways between the various blocks of FIG. 1, a variety of functionally equivalent arrangements may be utilized. For example, some pathways may be via the Internet or other wide-area network, while other pathways may be via a local-area network or even a wireless interface. Also, although only a single user 104 of the assessment system 102 is explicitly shown, multiple users are not only contemplated but are very likely within the environment of FIG. 1. The structure of FIG. 1 is logical in nature and does not necessarily reflect the physical structure of such a system. For example, the assessment system 102 may be distributed across multiple computer platforms as can the data storage 108. Furthermore, the three components 106, 108, 110 are separate in the figure to simplify explanation of their respective operation. However, these functions may be performed by a number of different, individual components, or a more monolithically arranged component. Additionally, any of the three logical components 106, 108, 110 may directly communicate with the academic system 116 without an intermediary. Also, although the users 104, 118 are depicted as separate entities in FIG. 1, they may, in fact, be the same user or a single web browser instance concurrently accessing both the assessment system 102 and the academic system 116.

Assessment within an institution such as a higher-education academic institution is a complex undertaking that encompasses many different levels of evaluation, data collection, and correction. For example, at the institutional level, a university may be focused on assessing accreditation requirements and strategic planning initiatives. At the program level, the relevant managers may be focused on assessing program effectiveness and discipline-specific accreditation requirements. At the classroom level, the instructors may be interested in assessing course design and curriculum coverage. Thus, some of the diverse questions that one or more assessment processes may try to address are decisions on faculty promotion and tenure, determining an effective mix of full-time and adjunct faculty, determining an effective mix of traditional and remote courses, and assessing whether the needs of specific student populations (e.g., commuters, transferees, minorities) are being met.

Assessment Projects and Initiatives

In general the phrase “assessment project” is used herein to describe efforts of an institution, an operating unit, a program or a course to assess and evaluate different aspects of its operation and effectiveness. One or more assessment projects may be ongoing at any time for the same operating unit or different operating units. An “assessment initiative” may encompass a number of different assessment projects that are related to a common theme. For example, an assessment initiative for Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) accreditation may be defined by the College of Engineering such that the ABET assessment project of each of the individual departments within the College (e.g. Department of Electrical Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, etc.) may connect to the College-level assessment initiative to enable College-level reporting on status and outcomes. By explicitly connecting, or associating, a number of assessment projects with an assessment initiative, a user of the present system is able to aggregate and organize data from among the different projects so that assessment and analysis can occur from both an individual project perspective as well as from the assessment initiative's cross-project perspective.

Exemplary Assessment Projects Might be:

a) internal to the program, such as a curriculum planning project or a program review;

b) internal to the institution, such as fulfilling institutional strategic planning requirements; or

c) for external review or accreditation, such as completing an institutional accreditation report or a discipline-specific accreditation report.

Assessment projects may be initiated at different times and will span different time frames. For example, while a project supporting the unit's responsibilities for institutional accreditation may actually take place over several years, strategic planning assessment projects may only last eight months and happen with more regularity than accreditation.

Even though the assessment process can be highly complex, there are some general provisions of the assessment system 102 of FIG. 1 that allow a user 104 to systematically and automatically initiate assessment projects. The general method of FIG. 2A is utilized, regardless of whether the user is defining an assessment project for an institution operating unit, some lower-level operating unit, or a program or course.

From a starting page, the user makes a selection, in step 202, via a user interface to enter a goal and planning component of the assessment system 102. After activating such a component, the user is prompted to define an assessment project. To simplify this process, the system 102 may provide the user with a default template or form that has some predefined fields and information. Alternatively, the user may be presented with a number of different types of templates and asked to make a selection. For example, the user may be asked whether the assessment project involves a program, a department, a college, an institution, or a course. Based on the user's response, an appropriate template may be provided to the user. For example, at the course level, the user would likely not be interested in defining strategic planning goals. Similarly, at the institutional level, the user would likely not be interested in specifying a course objective. Thus, the templates provided to the user may have their initial content dependent on what type of assessment project is being defined. In one particular embodiment, the assessment system 102 may be initially provided with a number of predefined templates. As part of the initialization process (before assessment projects are defined) a user or other administrator may customize these templates in accordance with the institution and its programs, departments, courses, etc. The customization of templates is not a necessary step before an assessment project is begun but it advantageously provides flexible customization geared towards each respective institution and their hierarchical organization.

As a result, in step 204, the user selects a template for the type of assessment project being generated. Then, in step 206, the user collects and enters data required by the forms as defined in the selected template. For example, the collection and entering of data may include metadata about the assessment project, the specific objectives of the assessment project, and activities related to each objective. Once the form is completed, then it can be presented to other users for review and approval in step 208. For example, a department chair may have responsibility for creating an assessment project but there may be a committee that may modify and approve the assessment project before it can be implemented.

In the above description, it is assumed that the user has adequate access rights within the assessment system 102 to perform the desired tasks. As known to one of ordinary skill, user identities and user roles may be employed to restrict user activities so that certain users have more access privileges to data resources than other users. These access privileges may be relatively static or may be more dynamic in nature as various users are placed in different roles or committees. Certain users may be allowed no access to an assessment project, read-only access to the project, edit-access to the assessment project, or create-access to the assessment project. Additionally, within an assessment project, the individual components of the project may have controlled access based on user roles as well. Furthermore, an assessment project manager role may be employed, and assigned to a user, to help with administering and managing the project and its implementation. Thus, different resources within the present assessment system may be protected through the application of access privileges that allow each resource to be available to one or more identified users or shared by all users.

FIG. 2B depicts an exemplary template structure that may be used to implement the default templates that are presented to the user. In assessment projects, templates are used to define the set of forms that are employed to collect the information that makes up the assessment project. An assessment project template 250 may include one or more of several types of forms:

a) a main form 252 is used to collect information about the project itself. Additional fields can be added to a project form in new templates by the user, but certain fields may be required on an assessment project template's project form in order to standardize data collection. While not absolutely necessary, it is advantageous to permit only one project form per assessment project template 250.

b) An objective form 254 is used to collect information about the objectives of the assessment project. An assessment project typically has one or more objectives, so at least one objective form is present. Many assessment projects have multiple objectives, however.

c) Objective forms can have one or more activity forms 256-262 associated with them in the template 250. These activity forms 256-262 collect information about various activities related to conducting the assessment of the objective. Each activity form may have a different set of fields on it. Addition of an objective (e.g. addition of an objective form 254) to a template 250, also generates the associated activity forms 256-262.

The template 250 of FIG. 2B may be fully customizable and definable by a user. However, in some instances, an institution may enforce requirements that all assessment projects include certain base information. Such a requirement may be helpful, for example, in ensuring that institution-wide reporting can be performed at least on the base set of assessment project attributes.

In one example, the template 250 of FIG. 2B includes:

Summary Statement: This provides an area to enter a general description or summary of the whole assessment project. This summary can also be used as part of a report generated for the assessment project. For example, the summary statement could include an overview of the project, names and titles of the university faculty and staff involved, and a summary of the findings. This might appear as the first page of a report.

Start/End Dates: Projects to evaluate learning outcomes or reviews of programs at an institution may have specific time periods which they span (e.g. an accreditation project may last several years, but a program review may happen annually.) A user initiating an assessment project can specify start and end dates for the assessment project. The default start date would be the project's date of creation. The default end date would not be set (i.e. no end date) as some assessment projects could be continuous and ongoing.

Phase Summaries: For each phase that is defined for the assessment project by the template, the user (or manager) is able to enter summary information for that phase.

Recurrence: The assessment process is cyclical, so frequently the same (or similar) assessment project may be run on a regular basis. For example, a departmental program review may occur every year, or the department's discipline-specific accreditation may need to be re-confirmed every three years. It is therefore useful to track if an assessment project is a re-occurrence of some previous assessment project.

Workflow: Workflow status can be used to control the state of the template and to determine what action or activity is next in the process flow.

The flowchart of FIG. 2C provides one example of one way to define a process of initiating the assessment process that is also further described later with reference to FIGS. 3A-3I. More particularly, the flowchart depicts a specific sequence of events that do not necessarily have to occur in that order. For example, the step of modeling (step 270) does not necessarily have to occur before an assessment project (step 272). Thus, the steps of the flowchart may occur in an order other than depicted in FIG. 2C. There are events that may advantageously be performed in a particular order for logical reasons. For example, aligning course content (step 280) will usually be performed after defining unit objectives (step 274). Additionally, one or more steps of the flowchart of FIG. 2C may be added or omitted without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Before beginning the definition of an assessment project, the institution itself may be modeled. FIG. 2D is a sample of only a part of a model that may apply to an institution such as, for example, a university with multiple campuses. As illustrated, the model captures details about various hierarchically arranged operating units 290-293, as well as programs 296, courses 294, and sections 295. Other equivalent terminology that may also be used herein to describe the organization of the institution may specify “nodes” within different “organizational levels” of the institution. For example, the institution itself may be a node at the organizational level of would only be able to submit once. However, a curriculum change request form would be available for a user to complete at any time, as determined by the user's need to request a change in the curriculum (e.g., a faculty requesting a new course be added to the curriculum), and the user may submit it multiple times as the need to provide the data may arises on multiple occasions. The data collection capabilities of the survey and course evaluation tools can be used for such general purpose data collection instruments as well, with a change to the deployment model. Instead of being deployed to a specific set of users, such a general purpose data collection instrument could be made accessible to a set of users for submission at the discretion of the user based on the user's needs. The exemplary interface screen of FIG. 5G depicts a generator of such a general purpose data collection instrument that provides a selection window 562 that permits a user to define new fields of the instrument. When a new field is added, then its label, instructions and other attributes can be defined as well. The screen view of FIG. 5G shows a list 564 of all the defined fields for the current instrument. A preview mode (not shown) is available to show how the layout looks for presentation to a user.

The availability of data across a wide variety of units, courses, and users raises concerns of uniform consistent and efficient evaluation of the data. Thus, an evaluation portfolio manager is provided for an operating unit that lists evaluation templates available to users within the operating unit. Typically, within a higher-education institution, for example, the evaluation template manager would be at a relatively high level such as at the college or department level. An evaluation portfolio relates to a particular portion of an assessment project. For example, a college may have to satisfy three different accreditation boards to be “accredited”. A different portfolio could be created for each of the different accreditation boards. Each portfolio would have identified, therein, a series of objectives (as outlined by the accreditation board). Drilling down into each objective would be an identification of how “satisfaction” of each objective is measured (a survey, a rubric for writing samples, and a test). The next step then is to collect the artifacts that pertain to each of these measures. Thus, a portfolio includes a label, a number of objectives, one or more ways to measure instruments related to each objective, and the artifacts themselves. At least three different types of assessment capabilities are provided in conjunction with evaluation portfolios. For example, a student or faculty may perform self-assessment. Additionally, a faculty member, for example, may use an evaluation portfolio to perform assessment of an individual (e.g., a student) with respect to a course objective, one or more program objectives, an institutional goal etc. Furthermore, the evaluation portfolios may aggregate results from many entities within the institution to provide assessment of institutional or program-level objectives such as, for example, accreditation criteria.

The interface screen of FIG. 5H depicts an exemplary evaluation portfolio manager that lists the available evaluation portfolios. In this example, one evaluation portfolio 566 is listed and is related to NCATE accreditation. The screen further displays attributes of this portfolio such as where it is defined 568, and its deployments 570. From this screen, the user can manage 573 a portfolio, add 571 a new portfolio, or deploy 570 an existing portfolio.

Selecting the “Add” button 571 of the portfolio manager interface will reveal the interface screen of FIG. 5I that shows a template of a portfolio that includes a listing of the areas that are the subject of the evaluation portfolio. This template can then be modified by the user. A portfolio is intended to include artifacts from students that exhibit certain outcomes. For example, artifacts may be papers, tests, surveys, quizzes, collaborative exercise, assignments, etc. These artifacts are submitted by a student (or collected by the faculty) in order to be applied towards one or more of the areas identified within the evaluation portfolio template. In the example portfolio 566, there are four areas of interest for evaluation. A list of these areas 580 and their respective descriptions 582 are shown. By selecting one of the links 580, a more detailed view of the specific properties for that portfolio area can be provided to the user.

This evaluation portfolio is deployed by a user to selected recipients using the “deploy” button 572 shown in FIG. 5H. As described earlier, a list of recipients may be defined or selected for deployment that varies according a number of criteria. Once the evaluation portfolios are deployed to students within the academic system 116 (see FIG. 1), these students can submit artifacts related to the different areas. Thus, the students to which the evaluation portfolio is deployed each complete the evaluation portfolio. Completing the portfolio is accomplished by adding artifacts to the portfolio. As a result, the assessment system 102 collects artifacts from a number of students related to the evaluation areas 580 of the evaluation portfolio. Because, the artifacts can include identifying and other meta-data, robust filtering and searching of the submitted and stored artifacts are possible. For example, random samples of submitted artifacts may be selected for an area or, alternatively, only artifacts from female students that live off-campus may be selected.

When defining the evaluation portfolio, the user may also be given the opportunity to define the artifacts that should be collected for each of the areas. Thus, by selecting one of the areas 580, the user may be provided with an artifact definition template that specifies attributes of the artifact (e.g., the scoring system, the fields, and the date). One example area in a portfolio may be to show that a student nurse can perform an intramuscular delivery of medicine. The artifact for documenting this area may require the name of the managing clinical nurse, a statement that the student was observed performing the injection, the name of the hospital, and the date of the observation. Another area in a portfolio may relate to satisfying a creative writing requirement. The artifact to apply to this area may include a paper that was scored according to a particular rubric. Thus, the artifacts themselves may vary greatly depending on the area 580 within an evaluation portfolio. Accordingly, the present assessment system 102 allows a user to define templates for the different types of artifacts and then, subsequently, when creating an evaluation portfolio, allows the selection of these templates to identify an artifact when describing an area within the evaluation portfolio, such as that in FIG. 5I.

A concept that is somewhat similar to a portfolio is that of an assignment binder. An assignment binder typically pertains to a particular accreditation program and collects artifacts related to that purpose over the course of one or more terms. The contents of the assignment binder can be used to support a review of a particular program or curriculum. However, unlike a portfolio, an assignment binder simply collects the artifacts without necessarily assigning them to particular areas or measuring them against predetermined rubrics. FIG. 5J depicts an exemplary interface screen for managing assignment binders. As shown, a binder is created within the College of Engineering and includes a name 590 and a description 592. Other attributes of a binder include, for example, the term for which it applies and user access privileges. Through the use of user lists and course lists, the selection of the artifacts to include in the binder can be controlled to provide desired cross-sections of available artifacts. Although an assignment binder may include artifacts from a wide range of students, selective filtering based on user lists, unit lists, or course lists can be used to extract a limited subset of artifacts from students matching particular criteria. Additionally, artifacts can be selectively returned that match a filter, or search criteria, related to the grade of an assignment, or other assignment specific attributes. Thus, different binders may be built, from the same pool of artifacts, by automatically retrieving artifacts matching one or more defined filter criteria. Within the interface of FIG. 5J, more information and the artifacts themselves may be presented to a user through selection of one of the links 590.

The definition of goals and objectives, the creation of rubrics, and the collection of artifacts as described above allow automatic evaluation of a student's performance against program or course objectives. The assessment system 102 and its integration with the other campus systems 114 and the campus academic system 116 simplify sharing of information among the various systems. As a result, the integration of these systems results in the storage of rubrics, artifacts, various objectives, different goals, and a definition of the relationship or association between these different data entities. Using techniques known to one of ordinary skill, this integrated information can be organized and filtered to identify and report various aspects related to the stored data that may be pertinent to assessment within an institution.

For example, a “score-sheet” such as that depicted in FIG. 6A may be built as the result of the integration and flexibility provided by the present assessment system. This table of FIG. 6A includes a list of students 602 and an indication of how they satisfy each objective 604, 606. The indication 608 may be a numerical score or some other qualitative-type score. For example, in the table of FIG. 6A, the indicators include “below”, “meets”, and “exceeds”. These indicators are based on the definition of the rubrics and the scores that are assigned to the artifacts which the students supplied in response to the rubrics. Because the rubrics are aligned with previously defined goals and objectives, these indicators can be automatically determined from these objectives. The table of FIG. 6A also includes a drop down window 610 that allows a user to select other objectives to display (e.g., critical thinking) as columns in the table.

FIG. 6B depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method by which the table of FIG. 6A may be generated. In step 620, instruments, rubrics, and goals and objectives are defined as described earlier. As part of the definition process, the instruments are associated with different rubrics and these rubrics are aligned with various goals and objectives. Next, the instruments (e.g., test and quizzes) are deployed, in step 622, to students. Other activities that are aligned with various rubrics may be performed as well.

In response to the deployment of instruments and other activities, results are received from the students, in step 624, by the assessment system. The receipt of results may be through automatic submission by the students through a campus academic system 116 as described earlier or through an instructor who receives the results directly from the students. The rubrics may then be applied to the results, in step 626. Once the rubric is applied, scores can be assigned to the results for each of the defined goals and objectives so that a report can be generated (see FIG. 6A), in step 628. The results and assigned scores along with other data may then be stored, in step 630, so that records of the assessment may be maintained for future reference and analysis.

Reporting

The following figures depict a variety of different reports that may be generated using the assessment tools described herein and the data that is collected as a result of using these assessment tools. One of ordinary skill will recognize that the specific format and contents of each report may vary greatly without departing from the scope of the present invention. However, these reports show the great breadth and depth of the types of data collection, some of which may be automatic, and analysis provided by the assessment techniques and methods described herein. One advantageous benefit of the present system and techniques evidenced within the exemplary reports is the sharing of data from among different level operating units. For example, the data from a number of different course may be “rolled-up” into a report that is generated at a department level and this report may include data that is collected at the course or section level. Thus, a report related to a department goal or objective may include results from artifacts that were submitted at the course level even though there are intervening operating units between the two levels within the model of the institution. This sharing of data between different operating units and different levels of operating units occurs in the other direction as well. For example, when defining and identifying artifacts, instruments, surveys, portfolios, curriculum content, etc. at a lower-level operating unit attributes from higher-level operating units may be automatically inherited without the need to be explicitly defined

FIG. 7A depicts a list 702 of report templates that have been pre-defined for use by a user. As new reports are defined, they can be added to the list. In operation, a user would select one of the available templates and then fill out the fields of the template with the particular data for their report. To help in the selection of the report, the list can also include other identifying features such as a description 704 associated with each report template.

One example report is shown in FIG. 7B (which is a more detailed view FIG. 4C); this report displays a table of “Course vs. Objective”. In generating this table, the English Department, for example, may use the template to select some or all of its courses and then select all or some of its department objectives. Because the definition of the courses also included aligning it with certain objectives, this report can be generated to show how each course satisfies each objective. The table includes an indicator 706 at each intersection of an objective and course. This indicator could be quantitative such as a ranked numerical score or it can be qualitative as shown in FIG. 7B. Exemplary qualitative categories are shown in the legend 708 of the table.

FIG. 7C depicts a table that might be useful to the institution which shows, by department, the status of course evaluations. Because the generation and return of course evaluations are automatically and systematically handled by the present assessment system, these statistics are readily available without manual collection and tallying of results by each department. Furthermore, not only is the status of completion revealed in the table but the overall scores 710 of the evaluations can be calculated and displayed as well.

In addition to tabular reports, more graphical report templates are provided as well. FIGS. 7D and 7E depict a dashboard-type report that graphically indicates certain indicators that an institution or other operating unit may be interested in. In a dashboard, certain indicators are defined along with the attributes for that indicator. For example, the “traffic light” indicator 716 of FIG. 7D has three possible states (e.g., read, yellow, green) which are mapped to a particular graduation rate defined by the institution. The data collection described herein provides the raw data for this indicator and the definition of the indicator is used to map the raw data into the “color” of the traffic light. Similarly, a pie chart 718 can be created from raw data to show the percentage of students who passed and failed a course. Similar raw data may be displayed as a bar chart 720 as well. The template definition screen of FIG. 7E depicts one way in which such a dashboard may be created. For example, a user can create a new metric 714 using the “Add” button 713. In the creation process, the user is provided with a selection window 712 that selects the type of indicator associated with the metric.

FIG. 7F depicts another type of report that resembles a scorecard. This type of report may be advantageously used to compare results of the same metric over different instances. For example, the scorecard of FIG. 7F shows such statistics as student SAT scores, student satisfaction, the number of minority faculty, etc. However, from an institution perspective, the scorecard provides the values for these metrics for the four most recent terms 720. Thus comparison and tracking of different metrics may be accomplished using a scorecard. FIG. 7G shows the details of using a scorecard template to generate a scorecard such as the one in FIG. 7F.

Using this template, a user can define the metric 722 that is going to be applied and displayed along with the class of individuals 724 to whom it applies. A description 726 is useful for identifying the metric and a selection window 728 allows the user to define the type of data that results from applying the metric. For example, the data may be “dollars”, “a percentage”, “raw numbers”, “an average”, etc. Near the bottom of the template of FIG. 7G is a window 730 that allows the user to select the different time frames for which these metrics will be included in the scorecard.

It is useful, once a report has been defined and run, to be able to save the report for future reference. As shown in FIG. 7H, the assessment system 102 described herein provides that capability. When storing the reports, it may be advantageous to allow the user to set permissions 732 for the report such that certain classes of users may be prevented from accessing the report or, alternatively, to specify a wide group of user roles that may access the report so as to ensure its widest dissemination.

FIG. 7I depicts a relatively simple bar chart; however, its contents reveal the great breadth of data collection and reporting capability provided by the assessment system 102 described herein. At the institution, one level of operating units may be “the college”. The different colleges 736 may include the business college, the engineering college, etc. Within each college are courses and each of these courses have course evaluations that are deployed and collected and given a rating 738. Each course also has a particular number of seats or students and this data may be stored in a third-party campus information system maintained by the institution or it may be stored within the present assessment system. As a result, the bar graphs of FIG. 7I allow a reporting of data such that the institution can discover the average course evaluation ratings within each different college as a function of class size. The legend 734 depicts an exemplary breakdown of class sizes.

FIG. 7J depicts another type of graph 741 that can be used to display data. In this instance the data is from an off-campus survey that collected ratings 740 from employers of recent graduates. Additionally, the graphs are broken down by different programs 742 within the college of engineering. Thus, as an operating unit, the college of engineering can analyze data according to sub-units defined previously.

For purposes of auditing and other monitoring functions, the assessment system 102 can track activities of users within the system in order to know what documents they have accessed and modified. Thus, the table of FIG. 7K can be created that shows recent events 744 within the assessment system 102 that are associated with one or more users 746. This data may be filtered so as to create a report that is based on time, based on a particular user, based on a class of users, etc.

Other Tools

There are a number of additional administrative type functions that simplify the management of various assessment projects and initiatives. These functions are not required by the assessment system 102 described herein but facilitate its operation and provide advantages to automating the processes described herein.

For example, users can be grouped into committees in order to simplify assigning roles and access privileges. Templates and other documents, when created, may have access privileges assigned based on which committee may access them, approve them, modify them, etc. By associating staff and faculty into different defined committees, the access privileges remain consistent even though faculty and staff can change. Additionally, upon creation, a committee can be provided with its own discussion board area, its own shared calendar, its own e-mail contact list, as well as its own storage repository for the documents it needs and generates. The interface screen of FIG. 8A depicts a tool useful for listing existing committees 804 and adding 802 new committees.

FIG. 8B depicts a task manager function which allows an operating unit to identify tasks 804 and track their status. FIG. 8C depicts some of the detailed information that may be collected about a student or faculty. This information may be manually entered or populated from another system such as an SIS of the institution. Information such as gender, ethnicity, financial aid, native language, SAT scores, etc. may be collected. As a result, the user lists described earlier can be finely defined to include only a desired subset of students when deploying instruments or reporting results and other data. Some of the fields shown in FIG. 8C may be static while others are dynamic. Thus, as data changes (e.g., the students GPA), this data may be automatically pulled from the SIS when needed. The assessment system 102 can access the SIS system in at least two different ways. A snapshot of the SIS can be made that the assessment system 102 stores and uses for its purposes or the SIS system can be dynamically accessed each time data from it is needed.

Because of the automatic and systematic collections of data described herein, there will be a large number of files generated and stored. Organization of these files can be dependent on operating units, assessment projects, programs, courses, instrument type, etc. FIG. 8D depicts an exemplary file manager that may be used to utilize the files within the system for the English Department 808. Within the manager window, a list of file collections 810 can be provided along with associated attributes 811. To help locate file collections, a drop down window 812 may be provided to allow the user to apply certain filters so that only desired file collections are displayed.

FIGS. 8E-8H depict a template manager that allows operating units to define the templates that will be used in assessment projects and to list existing templates 814. Using this manager, a user can modify 815 an existing template or add 816 a new template. One attribute of a template is the owner 818 of the template which reflects the operating unit that created the template. As shown in FIG. 8E, an owner may be an operating unit hierarchically above the present operating unit. Accordingly, the user of the “college of Liberal Arts”, for example, can start with a template provided by “the Institution” and add college-specific revisions. In this way, the institution can have complete or flexible control over the contents of assessment project templates to ensure some level of consistency across the different sub-operating units but also allow customization.

FIG. 8F depicts a interface screen that allows creation of an assessment project template. Using this interface screen, the user can specify what forms 820 are to be included in a template and view a description 822 of each form. For example, returning briefly to FIG. 3G, the names in the column 820 correspond to the form names that are along the top tabs 252-262. As shown, however, the exact form names may vary as well as the number of forms defined within a template. Exemplary forms shown in FIG. 8F include:

Objectives: The objectives for the assessment project

Measurements: The measurements that will be used to measure the objective (e.g., test, survey, portfolio)

Action Plan: The ordered steps to be taken within the Assessment Project

Findings: The findings resulting from the measurements

Follow-up: The steps for a follow-up plan, if any.

The user is presented with a way to define these forms to handle each data collection process. Thus, when a user initiates the start of a new assessment project, the templates that are provided to the user are those templates and forms that are defined in this process. One of ordinary skill will recognize that other or additional forms may be used as well to define an assessment project template without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 8G depicts an exemplary form definition interface for the “Objectives” form. A similar form definition interface is also provided for the other forms identified as well. The interface screen of FIG. 8G allows a user to add fields 824 to the form which define the way the form is presented when displayed for a user to use when defining a new assessment project. The interface screen of FIG. 8G shows how the details of the form's fields are defined and specified. For example, field 7 is provided with a user configurable “type” 826, and “label” 828. Additionally, the user defines (for this particular field), the “drop-down items” 830 from which the user can select. The specific fields and their attributes are not critical to an understanding of the present assessment system 102 as one of ordinary skill will recognize there are many functionally equivalent ways to allow users to organize and define templates and the forms and fields that make up a template. However, the results are advantageously depicted in FIG. 3G where the particular fields of FIG. 8G result in the template screen that was seen earlier in FIG. 3G.

Within an institution, there may be many different operating units, some of which have different terms. For example, the medical school, the law school, and the engineering department may all have different term lengths and days. Thus, instruments or portfolios that must be completed by the end of a term or the middle of a term may have different due dates for different operating units. A term manager is therefore provided that allows a user to define different terms. In the interface screen of FIG. 8H, the user is presented with a way to specify a term name 832 and assign to it a start date 834 and an end date 836.

One advantageous function described previously related to user lists and their use when deploying instruments and portfolios. In particular, a user list is a multi-faceted concept that refers to both its definition and its members. Thus, a user list may be defined as “all male juniors in the College of Engineering” and the members which satisfy that definition are also referred to as the “user list”. Referring back to FIG. 8C, a variety of user demographic information is collected and maintained by the assessment system. This information can be employed to define very specific subsets of students by presenting the fields of FIG. 8C to a user as selectable filters which the user can configure to define the desired members for a particular user list.

Once the user list is defined, the user has the option of making it a static list or a dynamic list. If it is a static list, then the user can apply the definition at a particular date to select the members of the user list. When some other process references this user list, then only those members within the original list will apply (e.g., only those members will receive a particular course evaluation). If it is a dynamic list, then the selected members are determined each time the user list is referenced. In other words, a survey deployed to a particular dynamic user list may be sent to different members if sent on two different dates.

The user manager interface screen of FIG. 8I provides a way for a user to maintain, define, and select different user lists. Using an “Add” button 844, a user is presented a new definition screen which allows them to configure the filters for selecting the desired subset of users. Once defined, this user list can be named and stored so that it is available in the list of FIG. 8I. This list provides an identification 840 of available user lists along with a number 842 of the members within the user list.

Similar to a user list, the assessment system 102 also provides the user with a way to selectively define course lists. A course list includes those courses that match a specified set of criteria. The attributes of a course (to which the criteria are applied) may be specified and stored within the assessment system 102 or be imported from another campus computer system such as an online catalog or similar database. The breadth of different course lists that can be created is limited only by the possible number of permutations allowed by the different attributes used to describe a course. Thus, very finely defined course lists may be created to allow selective deployment of portfolios, course evaluations, and other surveys. The course list manager interface screen of FIG. 8J depicts an exemplary way for a user to be presented with existing course lists and to define a new course list. Although not shown, creating a new course list involves a user being presented with an interface that allows defining the attributes and their values which must be satisfied to be a member of that particular course list. Once defined, then a dynamic or static course list can be created and stored.

Because operating units may be hierarchically arranged, it is possible to take advantage of that organization to simplify the deployment of certain instruments/survey and to perform certain reporting. For example, in an institution made of multiple campuses, each with multiple colleges, it is possible to ensure the same survey is deployed to all colleges of a campus simply by specifying the campuses without the need to specify each individual college. This functionality is provided by allowing the user to define unit lists. A unit list is simply those operating units that meet particular criteria. The interface screen of FIG. 8K depicts a unit list manager tool that displays defined unit lists 860. Selecting one of those lists 860 will display the names of the operating units within that unit list. Using the screen of FIG. 8K, the user may also elect to define a new unit list as well.

By automating the process of defining and collecting information related to assessment projects, a vast data warehouse can be generated that provides many different views of the assessment process. Searching through that data warehouse using selectable criteria allows a user to create a view of the data that may be useful for a variety of different purposes. One of ordinary skill will recognize that there are numerous ways to categorize and store data to aid in searching and locating pertinent information. The search interface screen of FIG. 8L is merely one exemplary way in which a view of the data can be defined and retrieved from within the assessment system 102 described herein. Using this screen, the user can select from a multitude of search criteria 862. This search criteria can include, for example, unit names 864, keywords, 866, author 868, dates 869, objectives 870, aligned goals 872, etc.

Assessment System and Academic System

The previously-described functionality of the assessment system 102 has been focused on the assessment system in isolation from many of the other systems available within the institution or organization. However, as briefly mentioned with respect to FIG. 1, a number of other systems may exist within the institution that may advantageously be integrated with the present assessment system. As mentioned earlier, the assessment system 102 described herein can operate in conjunction with an academic system as described in the previously incorporated patent and patent applications. This Internet-based learning system is also called the academic system 116 (See FIG. 1) in that it provides a virtual, on-line community for students. FIG. 9A depicts an exemplary screen that a user may encounter when logged into the academic system 116.

In FIG. 9A the user is provided with electronic tools 902 such as e-mail, calendar, and a directory. The academic system 116 also allows the user to connect to external campus computer systems using links 904 such as the Registrar's office or the Advising office. Of particular use to a student, the “My Courses” tab 906 allows the user to drill down into the courses for which they are enrolled to see course assignments, lecture notes, external resources, discussion boards etc. Additionally, system wide announcements can be provided in a window 908.

Specific to the assessment system functionality, two modules 910 and 912 are displayed on the user's interface page 900. The module 910 describes an assessment exercise that a student must complete by a certain date. It includes a link 911 that the user can select to be taken to the assessment exercise. The implementation of the exercise may be on some other computer system that receives and records the user's responses. These responses and scores are automatically provided to the assessment system 102 and associated with that particular user for that particular assessment exercise. The other module 912 relates to one or more surveys that the user is to complete. Similar to the assessment exercise, the student selects and then completes the survey with the results automatically returned to the assessment system.

The modules 910, 912 refer to instruments that are defined by a user of the assessment system 102 using the techniques previously described. The user of the assessment system 102 also employs the user list or course list (or both) to select the group of students to receive the respective instruments and then deploys the instruments. Once deployed, the assessment system 102 sends notification to the academic system to locate those students selected to receive the instrument. Within the academic system, a notation is made within the records associated with the implicated students regarding the newly available instrument. When the students next log in to the system, their respective home pages are rendered and the included notation results in a display of the appropriate modules 910, 912. An alternative deployment method would be to add a new instrument within the course area of a particular course. Thus when a student drills down to that course, the course page will be rendered and it will display a link to any new instruments.

Faculty members also use the academic system 116 and may be interested in assessment projects within their department or involving the student population that they interact with. For example, window 920 of FIG. 9B provides, for the faculty member, links to information on unit forms, surveys, course evaluations, results, tests, etc. Window 922 relates to a particular assessment project (e.g., “2006 Undergraduate Degree Review”) and provides links to information such as the objectives and findings collected so far with respect to this project. Access to this information is provided through appropriate communications interfaces between the assessment system 102 and the academic system. Furthermore, user roles and identities can be used to ensure information is presented to only those users having the required access privileges.

As mentioned, within the course-specific areas that a student may access from their virtual space within the academic system, a student has access to a variety of information pertaining to that course such as assignments, reading lists, discussion boards, lecture notes, etc. With the connection to the assessment system 102 in place, the student may now also be provided with a listing of the goals and objectives aligned to each course. Additionally, by drilling down into each lesson within the course, the student can see what are the objectives of today's or some other day's lesson. Additionally, objectives and goals can be aligned to individual content items within the course. For example, a particular discussion board topic may be presented to satisfy a particular course or department objective. This alignment can be specified by the instructor and displayed within the course area visible to the student.

The academic system 116 includes both a content management system and an administrative system. The assessment system 102 described previously can advantageously utilize this functionality already provided by the academic system. For example, the assessment-related content may be organized by operating unit and managed and accessed using the shared content window of the academic system. FIG. 9C shows the shared content window 929 that includes a unit content tab 930. The unit content tab 930 can include hierarchically arranged content within the unit as shown. Selection of specific content from the content tab 930 will display the associated file collections within a sub-window 932. From there, the file hierarchy can be traversed. The display of content in FIG. 9C may be logical in nature and does not necessarily reflect the actual hierarchical arrangement of files as stored within the underlying file system. The window 933 of FIG. 9D depicts an administrative screen of the academic system 116. Rather than having a separate administrative function for the assessment system, it can be provided through a section 934 of the window 933. As shown, an administrator can manage functions related to assessment projects, curriculum planning, lesson planning, testing, surveys, reporting etc. While not necessary, the integration of the assessment system 102 with the academic system 116 simplifies sharing of user roles, content, course attributes and also simplifies deploying instruments and collecting responses. All these activities can still be accomplished with diverse, separate systems but are advantageously simplified the tighter the two systems are integrated.

Template Driven

In the above-described assessment system 102, the use of templates has been highlighted as an advantageous technique for defining and collecting the data to be used in assessment projects. For example, at the institutional level a template is provided which guides the user into providing strategic goals and mission and vision statements. When an assessment project is begun, the user is presented with templates that allow objectives to be identified, measurements to be defined, and action plans to be specified. When the identified objectives are to be defined, a template is provided to guide the user through this process and to align them with higher level goals and objectives. At the unit level, templates are provided to define portfolios, instruments, programs and program objectives. While at the course level, other appropriate templates are presented to a user to help develop lesson plans, instruments and course and content objectives. In each instance, the lower level objectives and outcomes can be aligned with higher-level objectives and goals. As a result, a template driven system is provided that defines objectives at least at three different hierarchical levels and allows automatic alignment of the objectives throughout the three levels. Of course, more levels are possible as well, because the present assessment system provides operating units with the freedom to model their organization an a flexible manner.

Workflow

The different phases of an assessment project can be considered as events within the assessment system 102. As such, a workflow system may be included to monitor and facilitate an assessment project. For example, certain re-occurring assessment projects may be tied to the start or end of a term. Thus, a calendar function within a workflow process can initiate a creation of an appropriate assessment project template and forwarding it to the initial user responsible for managing the project. For such a project, as well as those manually initiated, the subsequent steps of the assessment project may be handled by a workflow process. The task plan described earlier can include with each task the identity of the responsible parties and the disposition of the project after completion of each task. For example, once an exemplary assessment project reaches the stage where all of a department's objectives have been defined, then a subsequent step, for example, may be to create a curriculum map for that department. Through use of a workflow process this automatic stepping through the task plan may be accomplished. Some workflow steps may merely include sending e-mails to committee members regarding the status of some phase of an assessment project. Another benefit of implementing a workflow system is that parts of the assessment project may have its access privileges automatically modified at each step of the task plan. For example, once a set of program objectives are agreed upon by the committee, then these objectives become read-only and no one has permission to modify them Thus, because of the automatic and systematic collection of assessment-related information and tasks available within the assessment system 102 described herein, an automatic workflow capability may be included to further automate and monitor an institution's assessment initiatives.

Export and Import

Assessment projects, and portions thereof, are data entities in and of themselves. For example, an English Department can create an assessment project that relates to how its courses align with its objectives. The creation of such a project includes a definition of objectives and goals, an organization of operating units, a definition of courses, and an identification of course objectives. Inherent in this data is how all the objectives from the different hierarchical levels align with one another. If further detail is desired, each course can include information on course contents and instruments deployed within each course. Another assessment project may be related to how a department prepared for a particular accreditation review. This might include evaluation portfolios, surveys, and other components. In each of these cases, other institutions may benefit from copying those assessment plans. Thus, portions of an assessment project (or the entire project) may be copied within the institution for use by various programs and departments while such functionality may also occur across different institutions as well.

Thus, the presently described assessment system 102 can export an assessment project or only portions of an assessment project as a data entity that can be transferred to another institution having its own assessment system. One example of a portion of an assessment project that may be exported, or imported, may be a series of templates related to National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accreditation. At that second institution, then, the assessment system can import the data entity and have a pre-populated assessment plan to use or to modify. At a smaller level, a publisher of a course or program of courses can define the objectives met by its courses and their respective content as well as the instruments and, possibly, portfolios that might accompany such a program of courses. This information may be imported into the assessment system at a department or program level at the institution to avoid developing the same material on their own from scratch.

Within such imported or exported data there may be references to third-party standards. If a user imports a project that includes a reference to, for example, an objective of the standard (e.g., analytical reasoning), that user will most likely desire to know exactly what that standard says about that objective. Thus, importing and exporting data within the assessment system 102 provides the additional functionality to include external standards. This functionality may also extend to exporting and importing instruments related to measuring or evaluating these standards as well.

One result of having such import and export functionality included within the present assessment system is that repositories of assessment project-related data entities may be created. Thus, assessment projects, templates, instruments and other data may be exported to and stored in a repository that is accessible by other users via a network or other computer system. Such a repository of information may include different levels of anonymity. For example, an institution may want to export to the repository information about the incoming freshman class' SAT scores, high-school GPA, and student age that was collected during a particular assessment project. This information can then be used by other institutions for comparison and analysis. In such an example, the first institution may want to have their identity associated with the data but also insure that the individual student information is anonymous. In a second example, the institution itself may want to remain anonymous in interacting with the repository. In this case, the institution may provide one or more aspects of an assessment project to the repository which can then provide a comparison against a benchmark or other standard. In this way, the repository provides the institution with feedback regarding the assessment project (e.g., whether or not the students performance on a battery of tests were below, at, or above a nationwide average). Alternatively, the institution can access the repository and import different benchmarks and other standards to perform their own comparison and analysis. Because virtually any aspect of an assessment project may be exported to the repository, institutions can exchange and compare various instruments, rubrics, surveys, templates, reports, as well as results collected in performing the assessment project. Furthermore, this repository may also include non-assessment related information and data as well such as, for example, course content and individual academic portfolios.

Multi-Institution

Not only can the assessment plans and portions of the assessment plans (e.g., the objectives, the courses) be exported and shared, the results and findings can be shared as well. Accordingly, a multi-college consortium, for example, can request and receive findings from its members and then report on the findings from the overall perspective. If the members of the consortium utilize substantially similar assessment projects and initiatives, then the collected data and findings will be consistent in nature and format and will allow them to be simply amalgamated and analyzed.

A number of variations to the specific behaviors and steps described in the above examples may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, elements, and/or components described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic component, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine.

The methods or algorithms described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various embodiments described herein. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one”unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.” 

1. A method for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients, the method comprising the steps of: receiving first input defining the assessment instrument; receiving second input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients; identifying the selected subset based on those of the plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the criteria; and deploying the assessment instrument to the selected subset.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria relates to demographic attributes about the plurality of recipients.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria relates to course-related attributes associated with one or more courses associated with the recipients.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria relates to section-related attributes associated with sections associated with the recipients.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria relates to educational experience-related attributes associated with one or more educational experiences associated with the recipients.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria relates to program-related attributes associated with one or more programs associated with the recipients.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria relates to operating unit-related attributes associated with one or more units with which the plurality of recipients may be associated.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein an operating unit comprises one of an institution, a college, a department, a program, and a course.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the assessment instrument is one of a test, a survey, a course evaluation, and an evaluation portfolio.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria relates to a combination of at least two of demographic attributes, program-related attributes, course-related attributes, educational experience related attributes, section-related attributes, and operating unit-related attributes.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of deploying further comprises: forwarding the assessment instrument to a separate computer-based system configured to disseminate information to the plurality of recipients.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the separate computer-based system comprises a campus academic system.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the campus academic system is configured to provide an environment to disseminate course-related information to a plurality of users of the institution.
 14. A method for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients of an institution, the method comprising the steps of: receiving first input defining the assessment instrument; receiving second input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients; and forwarding the criteria and the assessment instrument to a separate computer-based system of the institution, wherein the separate computer-based system is configured to distribute the assessment instrument to those of the plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the criteria.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the separate computer-based system comprises a campus academic system.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the campus academic system is configured to provide an environment to disseminate course-related information to a plurality of users of the institution.
 17. A method for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients of an institution, the method comprising the steps of: receiving first input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients; forwarding the first input to a first separate computer-based system of the institution; in response, receiving identification of members of the selected subset; and deploying the assessment instrument to the selected subset.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the criteria relates to demographic attributes about the plurality of recipients.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the criteria relates to course-related attributes associated with courses associated with the recipients.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the criteria relates to section-related attributes associated with sections associated with the recipients.
 21. The method of claim 17, wherein the criteria relates to educational experience-related attributes associated with one or more educational experiences associated with the recipients.
 22. The method of claim 17, wherein the criteria relates to program attributes associated with one or more programs associated with the recipients.
 23. The method of claim 17, wherein the criteria relates to operating unit-related attributes associated with one or more units with which the plurality of recipients may be associated.
 24. The method of claim 22, wherein an operating unit comprises one of an institution, a college, a department, a program, and a course.
 25. The method of claim 17, wherein the assessment instrument is one of a test, a survey, a course evaluation, and an evaluation portfolio.
 26. The method of claim 17, wherein the criteria relates to a combination of at least two of demographic attributes, program-related attributes, course-related attributes, section-related attributes, educational experience-related attributes; and operating unit-related attributes.
 27. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of deploying further comprises: forwarding the assessment instrument to a second separate computer-based system configured to disseminate information to the plurality of recipients.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the second separate computer-based system comprises a campus academic system.
 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the campus academic system is configured to provide an environment to disseminate course-related information to a plurality of users of the institution.
 30. The method of claim 27, wherein the first and second separate computer-based system are the same system.
 31. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of: receiving second input defining the assessment instrument.
 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the second input includes selecting the assessment instrument from a list of available assessment instruments.
 33. The method of claim 31, wherein the second input includes one or more modifications for a pre-existing assessment instrument.
 34. The method of claim 17, wherein the first separate computer-based system comprises a student information system of the institution.
 35. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of: storing the selected subset as a particular recipient list.
 36. The method of claim 35, further comprising the steps of: receiving second input identifying a subsequent assessment instrument; receiving third input identifying a stored recipient list; and deploying the subsequent assessment instrument to members of the stored recipient list.
 37. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of: storing the criteria as a particular criteria list;
 38. The method of claim 36, further comprising the steps of: receiving second input identifying a subsequent assessment instrument; receiving third input identifying a stored criteria list; determining a new selected subset based on the stored criteria list; and deploying the subsequent assessment instrument to essentially only members of the new selected subset.
 39. The method of claim 38, wherein the step of determining further comprises the step of: identifying the new selected subset based on those of a different plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the stored criteria list, wherein at least one member of the different plurality of recipients is not a member of the plurality of recipients.
 40. The method of claim 38, wherein the step of determining further comprises the step of: identifying the new selected subset based on those of a different plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the stored criteria list, wherein at least one member of the plurality of recipients is not a member of the different plurality of recipients.
 41. A system for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients comprising: a programmable computer configured to: receive first input defining the assessment instrument; receive second input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients; identify the selected subset based on those of the plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the criteria; and deploy the assessment instrument to the selected subset.
 42. The system of claim 41, wherein the criteria relates to demographic attributes about the plurality of recipients.
 43. The system of claim 41, wherein the criteria relates to course-related attributes associated with one or more courses associated with the recipients.
 44. The system of claim 41, wherein the criteria relates to section-related attributes associated with sections associated with the recipients.
 45. The system of claim 41, wherein the criteria relates to educational experience-related attributes associated with one or more educational experiences associated with the recipients.
 46. The system of claim 41, wherein the criteria relates to program-related attributes associated with one or more programs associated with the recipients.
 47. The system of claim 41, wherein the criteria relates to operating unit-related attributes associated with one or more units with which the plurality of recipients may be associated.
 48. The system of claim 47, wherein an operating unit comprises one of an institution, a college, a department, a program, and a course.
 49. The system of claim 41, wherein the assessment instrument is one of a test, a survey, a course evaluation, and an evaluation portfolio.
 50. The system of claim 41, wherein the criteria relates to a combination of at least two of demographic attributes, program-related attributes, course-related attributes, educational experience related attributes, section attributes, and operating unit-related attributes.
 51. The system of claim 41, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to: forward the assessment instrument to a separate computer-based system configured to disseminate information to the plurality of recipients.
 52. The system of claim 51, wherein the separate computer-based system comprises a campus academic system.
 53. The system of claim 52, wherein the campus academic system is configured to provide an environment to disseminate course-related information to a plurality of users of the institution.
 54. A system for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients of an institution, comprising: a programmable computer configured to: receive first input defining the assessment instrument; receive second input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients; and forward the criteria and the assessment instrument to a separate computer-based system of the institution, wherein the separate computer-based system is configured to distribute the assessment instrument to those of the plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the criteria.
 55. The system of claim 54, wherein the separate computer-based system comprises a campus academic system.
 56. The system of claim 54, wherein the campus academic system is configured to provide an environment to disseminate course-related information to a plurality of users of the institution.
 57. A system for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients of an institution, comprising: a programmable computer configured to: receive first input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients; forward the first input to a first separate computer-based system of the institution; in response, receive identification of members of the selected subset; and deploy the assessment instrument to the selected subset.
 58. The system of claim 57, wherein the criteria relates to demographic attributes about the plurality of recipients.
 59. The system of claim 57, wherein the criteria relates to course-related attributes associated with courses available to the recipients.
 60. The system of claim 57, wherein the criteria relates to section-related attributes associated with sections associated with the recipients.
 61. The system of claim 57, wherein the criteria relates to program-related attributes associated with one or more programs associated with the recipients.
 62. The system of claim 57, wherein the criteria relates to educational experience-related attributes associated with one or more educational experiences associated with the recipients.
 63. The system of claim
 57. The method of claim 16, wherein the criteria relates to operating unit-related attributes associated with one or more units with which the plurality of recipients may be associated.
 64. The system of claim 63, wherein an operating unit comprises one of an institution, a college, a department, a program, and a course.
 65. The system of claim 57, wherein the assessment instrument is one of a test, a survey, a course evaluation, and an evaluation portfolio.
 66. The system of claim 57, wherein the criteria relates to a combination of at least two of demographic attributes, course-related attributes, section-related attributes, educational experience-related attributes; and operating unit-related attributes.
 67. The system of claim 57, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to: forward the assessment instrument to a second separate computer-based system configured to disseminate information to the plurality of recipients.
 68. The system of claim 67, wherein the second separate computer-based system comprises a campus academic system.
 69. The system of claim 68, wherein the campus academic system is configured to provide an environment to disseminate course-related information to a plurality of users of the institution.
 70. The system of claim 67, wherein the first and second separate computer-based system are the same system.
 71. The system of claim 57, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to: receive second input defining the assessment instrument.
 72. The system of claim 71, wherein the second input includes selecting the assessment instrument from a list of available assessment instruments.
 73. The system of claim 71, wherein the second input includes one or more modifications for a pre-existing assessment instrument.
 74. The system of claim 57, wherein the first separate computer-based system comprises a student information system of the institution.
 75. The system of claim 57, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to: store the selected subset as a particular recipient list.
 76. The system of claim 75, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to: receive second input identifying a subsequent assessment instrument; receive third input identifying a stored recipient list; and deploy the subsequent assessment instrument to essentially only members of the stored recipient list.
 77. The system of claim 57, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to: store the criteria as a particular criteria list;
 78. The system of claim 77, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to: receive second input identifying a subsequent assessment instrument; receive third input identifying a stored criteria list; determine a new selected subset based on the stored criteria list; and deploy the subsequent assessment instrument to essentially only members of the new selected subset.
 79. The system of claim 77, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to: identify the new selected subset based on those of a different plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the stored criteria list, wherein at least one member of the different plurality of recipients is not a member of the plurality of recipients.
 80. The system of claim 77, wherein the programmable computer is further configured to: identify the new selected subset based on those of a different plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the stored criteria list, wherein at least one member of the plurality of recipients is not a member of the different plurality of recipients.
 81. Computer readable media containing programming instructions for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients, that upon execution thereof, causes one or more processors to perform the steps of: receiving first input defining the assessment instrument; receiving second input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients; identifying the selected subset based on those of the plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the criteria; and deploying the assessment instrument to the selected subset.
 82. Computer readable media containing programming instructions for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients, that upon execution thereof, causes one or more processors to perform the steps of: receiving first input defining the assessment instrument; receiving second input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients; and forwarding the criteria and the assessment instrument to a separate computer-based system of the institution, wherein the separate computer-based system is configured to distribute the assessment instrument to those of the plurality of recipients having associated identifying attributes matching the criteria.
 83. Computer readable media containing programming instructions for selectively deploying an assessment instrument to a selected subset of a plurality of recipients, that upon execution thereof, causes one or more processors to perform the steps of: receiving first input defining a criteria, the criteria related to a plurality of identifying attributes associated, respectively, with each of the plurality of recipients; forwarding the first input to a first separate computer-based system of the institution; in response, receiving identification of members of the selected subset; and deploying the assessment instrument to the selected subset. 